L.A. to Boston - May 10 to June 28 - 3415 Miles

Sunday, March 9, 2008

March 9th - Why am I doing this?

I began serious cycling in Phoenix, AZ, in 1965, during my first job out of college. I lived three miles from work and started out commuting but soon joined a bicycle-touring club. I have been riding ever since including a season in Massachusetts and a season in Bavaria, Germany, both while in the Army. My cycling activities since 1971 have been in the state of Iowa, where I was born and raised.

Four events have primed my long-time desire to bike across the country. The first was in 1971 when a cycling friend stationed in Germany was discharged from the Army,       he rode his bike from Ft. Dix, NJ, to his home in Los Angeles. I didn’t know that he had been discharged or that he was biking home. He just showed up at our farm in southeast Iowa one day. He did the trip alone with minimal camping gear.



The second event was in 1995 when a group of 300 Iowa riders promoted the Iowa sesquicentennial celebration coming up the next year by riding from L.A. to Washington DC - 5,000 miles in 100 days. I would like to have gone but was tied down to my farming operation. A third event was in 1996 when two college student brothers from New York City biked from Berkley, CA, to New York City. They had gotten my name and address from the League of American Bicyclist’s Hospitality Listing and overnighted at my farm.  


The fourth event was last year when an acquaintance, whom I had met on Ragbrai 2006, did the 2007 CrossRoadsCycling XC Tour. I read his blog plus blogs of several other riders from the 2007 XC. I was hooked. I have just turned 65 and am retired. I am no longer tied down as I was for many years. Now is the time to go.

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